Means of bringing barakah into our lives

Transcript of the Khatira delivered by Dr. Munawar Haque on Sept 17, 2016

Brothers and sisters! In today’s khatira, I want to share some thoughts with you on the topic of barakah or divine blessing. What is barakah? It is the attachment of divine goodness to something. It also means an increase in the amount of good in something. Barakah cannot be quantified. For example, having more barakah in one’s wealth does not mean the dollar amount increases; rather the benefit emerging from that amount increases. In terms of our everyday life activities, it means that if you have barakah, a little suffices and you are happy and satisfied, without any problem. If we get a raise but most of it ends up being spent in unforeseen expenses and extravagance which do not bring value addition to our life, then that raise or increment we got lacked barakah. Similarly if we have spent our life toiling hard to educate our children in the best schools, only to find them to be lacking in the values we expect from them, then our efforts were without barakah.

Being able to achieve more with few resources, doing much in little time, and generating a lot with little effort is surely a blessing from Allah (SWT). Another important aspect of barakah is that the end result should be productive; not only in this world, but also in the hereafter. Therefore, short term gains that result in disasters in the hereafter, even if they appear profitable in this world definitely lack barakah.

Barakah seems to be missing from our lives. Often, we hear people complaining that there's no barakah in their money, no barakah in their time, no barakah in their life, and so on. Actually, barakah is right in front of them, but it is handed over only to those who work for it. What are some of the means of bringing barakah into our lives? Some of the things that we can do to have barakah in our lives are:

1. To have good intentions: If we want something to have barakah attached to it, we must have purity of intention, which means that whatever we do should be for the sake of Allah (SWT). If the intention is not pure, then what we do will not have divine goodness attached to it, and therefore, there will be no barakah. We are told in a hadith: “Actions are judged by intentions and every man shall have only that which he intended.”

2. To earn a lawful and wholesome income: We should ensure that our line of work does not contravene the Sacred Law and that our wealth is lawful (halal).  Our work should be moral and ethical. The Prophet (SAW) said: "O people, Allah is Pure and accepts nothing but what is pure.” It is said that one who eats haram, his limbs will disobey Allah whether he likes it or not, and the one who eats halal and seeks halal income, his limbs will do good and will be given the permission to seek goodness.

3. To work with excellence, loyalty and honesty:  According to a hadith, "Allah loves that if one does a job he perfects it.” In other words, Allah is pleased with the person who when he performs a deed, he executes it with excellence. Itqan or perfection of action is a part of our trust (amanah). Being thorough in doing something is an obligation upon Muslims. We have to be loyal and honest at work.  We should not squander the time and resources at our disposal. Lying, cheating, and deceiving others removes barakah from our lives. “Woe to those who defraud” (al-Mutaffifin, 83:1) is a warning in the Qur’an. 

4. To have the taqwa of Allah, i.e., to be conscious and mindful of Allah: We have in Surat al-Talaq, “Allah will find a way out for those who are conscious of Him, and will provide for them from sources they could never imagine” (al-Talaq, 65:2-3). Further, it says, “Allah makes things easy for those who are mindful of Him” (al-Talaq, 65:4). Thus we know that the people of taqwa—the people who are righteous and pious are blessed.

5. To give thanks to Allah in abundance: We should thank Allah with our tongue, with our heart, and through our actions by using His blessings for good purposes, and by worshipping and obeying Him. Allah says in the Quran: “If you are thankful, I will give you more” (Ibrahim, 14:7). So Allah is promising the person who thanks Him an increase in blessings, and “Allah never breaks His promise” (Aal ‘Imran, 3:9).

6. To repent for one’s sins and ask Allah for forgiveness: Sins strip away barakah from our lives, while repentance restores the barakah. We learn from the stories of our pious predecessors that once a person came to Imam Hasan al-Basri (Rahimahullah) and complained of a drought in his community. The Imam told him to repent. Another came to see him complaining of poverty, and again he was told to repent. Another came to see him complaining of not having children, and again he was told to repent. He was asked why his advice remained the same whatever the issue he was confronted with. The Imam replied that this was not his own advice. It was the advice of Nuh (AS) to his people as mentioned in the Qur’an.

7. To say Bismillah: How many times do we actually forget to mention Allah when we start doing something? When we say "Bismillah" before anything we do, we're invoking the name of Allah on that activity; not only will that activity be blessed but Shaytan cannot take part in it! So we should always say "Bismillah" before anything we do! The habit of pronouncing the name of Allah is bound to make one think when one is about to commit an evil act, as to how such an act can be reconciled with the uttering of Allah’s name.

8. To wake up early: We should try to work in mornings, and try to become productive after Fajr by not sleeping through the early part of the day. The Prophet (SAW) prayed, “Oh Allah, give barakah to my Ummah in their early-morning work.” Waking up early is an important step to being blessed and feeling good throughout the day.

9. To read the Qur’an: This is the fountain of barakah, but we rarely drink from it. Allah says in Surat al-An’am, “This is a blessed Book We have sent down” (al-An’am, 6:92). It is reported that the Prophet (SAW) said, “Indeed, the house in which the Qur’an is recited—the goodness in it increases…” and in another version, “things are made easier for its family.” So we should read the Quran, and observe the blessings and barakah of Allah enter our lives. The further we are from this Book of Guidance, the less barakah we will have in our lives.

10. To make dua for barakah: The Prophet (SAW) always used to make dua for barakah. Some of his duas are: “O Allah I ask You for the good of this day, for its victory and its help, for its light and its barakah, and its guidance…” Before eating, he used to say, “O Allah, give barakah in it for us and give us more of it.” For the host he would pray, “O Allah, give them barakah in that which you have provided them, forgive them and have mercy on them.” To a newly-wedded couple, he would say, “May Allah bless you and shower his blessings upon you and keep you together in goodness.” Other areas of life where we should ask for blessing are in our time and wealth. Nowadays, despite the fact that technology and other material possessions are there to make our lives easier and save us time, we still feel dissatisfied and struggle to find time to fulfill our responsibilities. This is a symptom of our lives being devoid of barakah and is certainly something to ponder upon. Barakah in our wealth gives us contentment and satisfaction and we feel that we are receiving value for our money.

11. To give in charity: However illogical it may sound, giving in charity does not decrease one’s wealth. This is confirmed both by the Qur’an and the sayings of our beloved Prophet Muhammad (SAW). The Prophet (SAW) said, “Charity does not reduce wealth.” The physical amount appears to decrease outwardly, but the remaining amount attracts barakah so that the actual benefit from it is not less. We have to try to fight the urge to be stingy. “And those who are saved from the stinginess of their own souls are truly successful” (al-Hashr, 59:9).

12. To maintain ties of kinship: Through the meaning of a hadith we learn that by maintaining good relations with kinship, one’s life is prolonged, and sustenance and provisions are blessed and increased, happiness and prosperity become the natural consequence, and one protects oneself from the evil ends.

13. To eat together: It is said that some of the companions of the Prophet (SAW) complained that they ate but did not feel satisfied. The Prophet (SAW) said, "Perhaps you eat separately." They said, "Yes." He said, "If you gather together and mention Allah's name, you will be blessed in it." He is also reported to have said, "Eat together and do not eat separately, for the blessing (barakah) is with the company."

14. To follow the Sunnah of the Prophet (SAW): The most productive man in the history of mankind is none other than our beloved Prophet Muhammad (SAW). Therefore, by following his lifestyle, we obtain a great source of barakah. Following the example of the life of the most blessed man on earth is surely a source of blessing.

My dear brothers and sisters! These are a few of the numerous ways to fill one’s life with barakah.  However, the general rule of thumb to attract barakah is always the same.  When we attach our hearts to Allah (SAW) and submit to Him completely, and make Him our sole goal and purpose, then the barakah will enter our lives from all sides without us having to worry about it.

May Allah (SWT) increase the barakah in our lives, in our time, in our knowledge, in our wealth, in our activities, in our families, and in our communities. Barak Allahu Feekum,

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